Guthrie, Oklahoma

Guthrie is a city in Logan County, Oklahoma and is part of the Oklahoma City Metropolitan Area. On July 2003, the city population was 10,110 - almost exactly the same as it had at midnight on the day it was founded 114 years earlier. It is the county seat of Logan County.

Guthrie was the territorial and later the first state capital for Oklahoma. Guthrie is nationally significant because of its outstanding collection of late nineteenth and early twentieth century commercial architecture. Beautiful Victorian architecture provides a unique backdrop for Wild West and territorial style entertainment, cozy carriage tours, replica trolley cars, specialty shops, and art galleries.

History

Guthrie was founded during the Land Run of 1889, growing from a population of zero to 10,000 in a single day. It was the capital of Oklahoma Territory from 1889 until Statehood in 1907, when it became the capital of the new state of Oklahoma. Guthrie prospered briefly as the administrative center of the territory for several decades, but was eclipsed in economic influence by Oklahoma City early in the 20th century. Oklahoma City had managed to become a major junction for several railroads and had also attracted a major industry in the form of meat packing. A campaign was started by Oklahoma City business leaders after statehood to make Oklahoma City the new capital, a proposal that eventually resulted in OKC becoming the state capital in 1910. As a result of the sudden loss of its administrative function, Guthrie began to dwindle in size and soon lost its status as Oklahoma's second city, first to Muskogee, then later to Tulsa.

Guthrie today

The happy result of Guthrie's misfortune is that Guthrie is a perfectly preserved Victorian city. While growth and wrongheaded urban planning caused Oklahoma City to destroy much of its early downtown architecture, almost the entire central business and residential district of Guthrie is totally intact. Guthrie is the largest urban Historic Preservation District in the United States, which has opened up a whole new industry for the town in the form of historical tourism. Guthrie is home to several museums, including such sober entries as the Oklahoma Territorial Museum, as well as quirkier establishments like the National 4-String Banjo Hall of Fame. Guthrie also claims to be the "Bed and Breakfast capital of Oklahoma".

In Guthrie visitors enjoy, among others, the Oklahoma Territorial Museum and the Guthrie Scottish Rite Masonic Temple. Guthrie is a Certified City and has received a Community Development Block Grant to inventory infrastructure features for Capital Improvement Planning (CIP). Guthrie has two lakes south of it called Liberty Lake and Guthrie Lake.

The town also hosts the Oklahoma International Bluegrass Festival, which draws 15,000 visitors annually.

Geography

Guthrie is located at (35.856336, -97.435894).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 49.8 km² (19.2 mi²). 48.4 km² (18.7 mi²) of it is land and 1.4 km² (0.5 mi²) of it (2.81%) is water.

Demographics

As of the census of 2000, there were 9,925 people, 3,854 households, and 2,474 families residing in the city. The population density was 205.3/km² (531.6/mi²). There were 4,308 housing units at an average density of 89.1/km² (230.7/mi²). The racial makeup of the city was 75.84% White, 15.77% African American, 2.97% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 1.94% from other races, and 3.03% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 3.79% of the population.

There were 3,854 households out of which 29.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 46.7% were married couples living together, 14.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 35.8% were non-families. 32.1% of all households were made up of individuals and 15.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.37 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the city the population was spread out with 24.7% under the age of 18, 11.5% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 21.4% from 45 to 64, and 17.7% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 86.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 79.9 males.

The median income for a household in the city was $30,460, and the median income for a family was $38,732. Males had a median income of $27,948 versus $21,186 for females. The per capita income for the city was $15,774. About 9.8% of families and 17.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 18.1% of those under age 18 and 18.4% of those age 65 or over.

Guthrie in film

Guthrie's main street can be seen briefly in the 1988 movie "Rain Man". First the two brothers, Charlie (Tom Cruise) and Raymond (Dustin Hoffman) Babbit, are shown driving down the street (in the yellow 1949 Buick Roadmaster convertible), then Raymond is standing in the middle of the street (while Charlie is looking for a doctor) because it says "Don't Walk", and finally Charlie and Raymond are at the doctor's office (the Guthrie Clinic - at the corner of Division and Oklahoma Streets).
The movie "Twister" (1996 with Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt) also used the town for some scenes.
A good portion of the new movie, " The Story of Albert Fish" (about cannibal and murderer Albert Fish) was filmed in and around the town.
The movie Public Enemy #1 with Theresa Russell was filmed in the town.

External links

Guthrie official website

Cities in Oklahoma | Logan County, Oklahoma | County seats in Oklahoma